<p>I'm having a lot of trouble choosing and the deadline is approaching quickly...</p>
<p>U of M is huge, has lots of opportunities, and has a great community. Also a great reputation. </p>
<p>KZoo is tiny liberal arts school, but still is filled with opportunities (albeit not as much, being so small). It's also offering me a great financial aid deal, and I would almost certainly study abroad. Also, the staff seems much closer to their students. The community is ok, to me, but I feel as if I may get bored of it - definitely not as much to do as Ann Arbor. </p>
<p>I'd be paying about 10-12K less each year going to KZoo, and may be able to leave there with no loans or debt. </p>
<p>Any opinions?</p>
<p>so you are talking 40K more for Michigan. Kalamazoo is a really good Liberal Arts school, if you were going to a lesser school than I would say Michigan, but in this case I think the cost is just a bit too much. If it was 25K or less than I could see justifying going to Michigan. Also you will be SOOO relieved to graduate debt free and if you do well at K’Zoo you will have a great chance to get into Michigan for grad school</p>
<p>At K College you will be part of a tight community and be taught by professors in small classes, not teaching assistants. Foreign Study is part of the curriculum. The campus is charming. The town is cooler than you might think, and WMU is there for even more college activities. Slam Dunk K College, especially with your aid package. Plus grad schools like K graduates.</p>
<p>If you get bored you can go to the parties at WMU.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>I have one more question. How much does a college reputation/“name” play a role in getting a job or being accepted to grad school?</p>
<p>I personally have been told countless times that it’s what you do, not where you go to school. But my parents insist that it’s important - I feel like they’re putting too much emphasis on this. They have the idea that if I go to UofM I’ll land a job and get accepted to grad school much more easily than if I go to KZOO. How true is that?</p>
<p>For grad school it doesn’t matter which you go to. Academic institutions know the reputation of the colleges and KZOO won’t be unfamiliar at all. Your parents are just the man on the street and their knowdelge of the man on the street doesn’t count for grad school. Many liberal arts schools send a higher rate of students to grad school that bus U’s, you can do your research on the 2 schools.</p>
<p>For jobs, I’m not sure, maybe someone else will know. May depend on the type of job, the employer and the region.</p>
<p>I guess one question is: is the extra $40-46k your money or theirs?</p>
<p>lol good question. It’s theirs, and they insist they’ll be responsible for paying. Yet it’s definitely not like I can just not worry about it. I’m the one that needs to do all the work/study, take out student loans (if needed in the future), etc. so I still have to care. :)</p>
<p>I was asking mostly because I was afraid it would be debt in your name and I’d have advised against it. It may not seem like there are more opportunities at a smaller college, but often there are because of the close personal ties to faculty and also schools like KZOO make it happen. I wouldn’t be worried about going there. But UMICH and Ann Arbor would be a fantastic experience, of course. Hard to pass up.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, it really helps, especially since I’m thinking of going into science (biology) and will probably try to eventually earn a doctorate (although, more than likely I’ll change my major so who knows). Any UM supporters?</p>
<p>With regards to graduate school placement, I think both schools would serve you well.</p>
<p>For professional placement, I think Michigan wins. You also seem to prefer the variety offered at Michigan. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, $40k is a lot of money. </p>
<p>This is definitely a tough decision. Do you have younger siblings that your parents are going to have to put through college? Is that $40k going to be a burden on your folks? If the answer to either of those is yes, I say Kzoo all the way. If the answer to both is no, go for Michigan. If the answer to one of the questions is yes and to the other is no, toss a coin! ;)</p>
<p>KZoo is where people from my high school went when they didn’t get into UMich. You won’t get the “wow” factor from KZoo like you will from UMich.</p>
<p>Ordinarily I prefer selective LACs to big state universities, but this choice is hard. Michigan is one of the best state universities. If costs were equal, and if you were comparing any arbitrary, moderately selective LAC, then I’d favor Michigan. </p>
<p>However, the costs strongly favor Kalamazoo. Furthermore, Kalamazoo seems to be stronger in some science areas than its #71 US News ranking suggests, if PhD production is any indication ([COLLEGE</a> PHD PRODUCTIVITY](<a href=“http://web.reed.edu/ir/phd.html]COLLEGE”>Doctoral Degree Productivity - Institutional Research - Reed College) - see Life Sciences and Chemistry.) I assume you’ve visited Kalamazoo and liked it.</p>
<p>So, even though your parents apparently don’t mind the cost difference (so you really do have a choice), I’d lean toward Kalamazoo. I don’t think it will hold you back in admission to a good PhD program, especially if you get good internships or use the small college advantage to work with professors on research projects.</p>
<p>If the LAC begins to feel too confining, you can transfer after two years. By then you’ll already have saved some money. The big introductory classes at a state university will be behind you; Michigan’s course selection advantages in your major will still be ahead of you.</p>